General News Archive - February 25, 2006

The Philippines marked 20 years of freedom from dictator Ferdinand Marcos on Saturday under a state of emergency as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo confronted an alleged plot by communists, soldiers and politicians to oust her.

MANILA (Reuters) - The search for survivors from a deadly
Philippine mudslide was called off as rescue workers gave up
hope for nearly 1,000 people buried under a huge crust of earth
and debris, a senior official said on Saturday.

SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger appealed on Friday to fellow Republicans to
rally to his re-election campaign despite concerns they have
with his moving to the political center and his expensive
public works initiative.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is considering withdrawing its
non-combat ground troops from Iraq in two phases between April
and June, and may announce the plan next month, the Nihon
Keizai newspaper said on Saturday.

By Michael Georgy and Lin Noueihed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb attack on a Shi'ite holy
city, the slaying of a family of 12 and a gunbattle near the
home of a top Sunni Muslim clerical leader heightened fears on
Saturday that Iraq may be pitching toward civil war.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
said on Saturday U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had
agreed to pay a visit to his home town in northern England to
repay a trip he made to Alabama last year.

By Louis Charbonneau and Alireza Ronaghi BERLIN/TEHRAN (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear experts arrived in
Iran on Saturday after Tehran promised answers to outstanding
questions about work the U.N. fears could be linked to atomic
"weaponisation," Western diplomats said.

By Louis Charbonneau and Alireza Ronaghi BERLIN/TEHRAN (Reuters) - U.N. nuclear experts arrived in
Iran on Saturday after Tehran promised answers to outstanding
questions about work the U.N. fears could be linked to atomic
"weaponisation," Western diplomats said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's largest Sunni Muslim bloc said
on Saturday it would consider ending its boycott of talks on
the formation of a new government after the Shi'ite prime
minister promised to protect all places of worship. "The Iraqi Accordance Front ...